Bjerglandskab med en færgebåd 1640 - 1723

Curator: This etching, dating roughly from 1640 to 1723, is entitled "Bjerglandskab med en færgebåd", or "Mountainous Landscape with a Ferry Boat" by Abraham Genoels. It’s currently held here at the SMK. Editor: My first impression is how serene the scene appears, despite the implied journey. There’s such detail in the vegetation. The etching almost invites you into the landscape, yet it’s monochromatic. Curator: It reflects the baroque aesthetic—a dynamic landscape with that touch of drama inherent in the era. I am interested in what is not illustrated, especially regarding power and structures involved in transit and social access to crossing rivers or entering new social ecosystems, which are rarely, if ever, linear experiences. Editor: Considering it’s an etching, what strikes me is the labor involved in creating such textures. From the paper quality to the deliberate, careful marking of the metal plate—it signifies craft as a real skill that democratizes high art by expanding traditional notions. Curator: Exactly, the landscape as a construct, meticulously planned, much like societal structures and power dynamics. Notice how Genoels plays with the contrast between the foreground and background; there is a focus on travel but who are these travelers and what are their backgrounds? Who owns the means to transit? Editor: That question of access is important, and brings into focus the means of this very landscape being reproduced by printing and etched metal plate. Did such access give rise to wider landscape dissemination in the era, shaping its material consumption beyond the walls of aristocratic villas and into those of bourgeois consumers, for instance? Curator: That's key! It's easy to overlook that the creation and distribution are laden with ideology. The medium in this period offered the experience, visual access and fantasy, if you like, of new ideas, which changed visual literacy across diverse societies. What is reproduced, why is it reproduced, who gets to access it—they remain important questions. Editor: Looking closely, the scale allows for real, physical access. We can look at a printed edition like this for a longer amount of time, handling the image and exploring it over and over, almost bringing us closer to the moment Genoels etched the scene himself. Thanks for bringing this landscape to life. Curator: The intersectional narrative, the layers of travel and social structures is worth revisiting as the context and values surrounding the construction and interpretation of landscape evolves. Thank you!